Fractions of everyday life bathed in s i l v e r light { Inspiration Friday }

For this Inspiration Friday, instead of diptychs & collages put together from the world of Pinterest,

there are some made from my own pictures, 

shot while still here in the beautiful home of photo stylist Paulina Arcklin,

located somewhere pretty, close to the heart of Amsterdam.

Shots highlighting fractions of everyday life

bathed mostly in silver light.

 I thought it's about time I said a proper hello & good morning...

So,

h e l l o, g o o d   m o r n i n g  and the most wonderful of Fridays

and weekends ahead!

I've been  h e r e  since 2 weeks now.

It has been a magnificent  emotional exercise,

shining plenty of light to both my heart & mind.

I have come to the conclusion

that when ones invests in getting to know themselves,

finding out who the person standing in front of the mirror is,

recognizing & accepting their characters' blessings & shortcomings,

one can only but eventually succeed.

Succeed in living a life not only close to their dreams,

but a  l i f e   l i v e d   I N  t h e i r   d r e a m s .

I'd like to thank you for being patient & outstandingly discrete readers,

respecting my wish to share only according

to my choices.

Sometimes saying more, others less.

This is the way that I prefer to blog,

this is the way that suits me.

My blog for me is like chapters of a book.

I like books to be written in a traditional way,

quietly, effortlessly, coming straight out 

from the depths of us,

as words emerge describing thoughts and emotions

following experiences.

Those who still read books

might appreciate the whole thing it stands for:

t a k i n g   t i m e  to live & comprehend life.

Here are some glimpses into my current everyday life...

I'm literally chasing light with my camera,

loving to capture it, even if the environment is not properly & perfectly styled

as if for a photo shoot.

I'm spending time both indoors, playing with styling props

and outside walking kilometers per day,

exploring, discovering, enjoying

the canals, neighborhoods, parks,

occasionally also visiting some shops

or cafes...

above my "princess" sandals sunbathing

&

the perfect hairbands suiting my wardrobe

recently found at h&m,

together with a pair of tea towels

to be brought to my most favorite kitchen in the world...

and a lovely stamp from HEMA,

which was patiently waiting in the "as is section"

for a new happy user, for the exchange of €1 at the cash desk

I traveled only with hand luggage,

despite this being almost a 3 week trip,

in my effort to practice living with less,

while being blessed with more than enough.

Currently white, black, navy blue & powder pink are the main colors of my Spring & summer closet,

with clothes mostly from Mango, Zara & h&m,

bought on line or during trips

I have been going to 

together with my life partner.

self portraits in a rather usual mood,

featuring my ever favorite silver cardigan from Mango,

happily now completing 10 years of living together,

having survived hundreds of washing adventures

& traveling around the world

a corner of the living room here I love to photograph

&

my current daily journal from Muji dressed in the same wallpaper that covers

the main living room wall at home in Germany

this capitone, large, jean shopper from Mango had been on my wish list

for about a year before it arrived my way.

A good choice all in all

finding my favorite cereal brand in the local super market for a great price

has been a good thing.

Also getting familiar with the philanthropic concept supported

by Stella - Marie water,

to which I  was attracted to thanks to its design matching my tastes.

here is my reflection on the building opposite where I'm staying

and something very common while I'm snacking or putting together a light meal:

dark bread with seeds  - ruccola  - ham variety

last Monday I made a record of walking for 7 hours,

with a stop here for lunch,

multiple stops for photographing corners

& others visiting shops.

I'm sporting going grocery shopping using only but my own

shopping bags.

My favorite: the large cotton one, from one of the first h&m home's collections.

As for a favorite car, there is something about a silver, vintage Porsche,

sitting at the end of a canal like Princengracht,

that just captures my attention...

... wishes for surrounding yourselves with beautiful light, too

wherever we are, whatever our current life occasion,

L i g h t  is always there,

we just have to l o o k  for it

Photography & collage curation by Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic Stories with Ivy 2013

{all rights reserved }

Divine l i g h t ... be surrounded by it

worship the Sun but now can you fall for the Rain?

you know that Sunlight always shines

behind the Clouds upon the Skies

A light filled post coming tomorrow...

stay tuned...

let there be light

&

most of all...

let light in

even if the night has fallen in our part of the world...

posting under candle light & the sounds of nice music coming from 

my trustworthy i-phone

after another day of endless walking hours in Amsterdam

Life is good... there is calmness, peace, tranquility & 

an unmistakable hunch of   h a p p y   e x p e c t a t i o n s   

carrying true Joy within

M o n d a y ' s S t y l i n g T i p : navy blue & powder pink

  2nd Monday of the 2nd half of the year 2013...

and it couldn't be a better time to 

officially  e s t a b l i s h  a new column

here:

W E L C O M E 

everyone to M o n d a y' s  S t y l i n g  T i p s

by yours truly 

{ insert big smile here }

A little about the  c o l u m n :

I hope to inspire you while sharing these posts here with you,

not only to  d r e s s  stylishly

but most of all to get to  k n o w  yourselves,

a c c e p t  &  l o v e  them

for all the  w o n d e r f u l people that you are

S t y l e  cannot be imposed,

neither bought.

However a  s t y l i s t can be assigned & hired to work for others.

Personally I have noticed that my love for styling has been evolving parallel

to  d i s c o v e r i n g  myself,

parallel to allowing the best of me to unfold,

while having face to face talks with those nasty sides of me.

No matter what kind of outfit,

I like to feel that the clothes are at the same time 

a means to express myself and current mood,

while being  p r o p e r l y  dressed for any occasion.

T o d a y ' s   o u f i t  is about attending an appointment with clients,

while providing my services as

their interior design consultant.

I needed  to be comfortable as driving 100 km back and forth was involved.

At the same time,

I wished to be looking simple, still taken care off.

The meeting was about seeing   e x h i b i t i o n   h o u s e s 

at Bien Zenker, a company I'm so glad to have had the chance to be familiar with.

Here's some  i n f o  about the outfit,

in case you need to note down:

Have fun  e x p l o r i n g!

-> all cotton jeans Mango,  found here 

{mine were bought during this winter sales, when more "real" sizes were available.

I paid €15 for my pair. Reduced from €39.95, I was & still am pretty happy}

->  white, all cotton T-shirt, Zara {from our latest trip this April in South Portugal, Algavre }

-> dark blue mini cardigan with pretty buttons & a cute, tiny bow detail

Mango { currently not available }

-> glossy belt with a bow from Promod { here is something similar currently available}

-> My shoes were these wild leather ballerinas in powder pink from h&m

{ one of the presents I gave myself for my birthday in March  :)}

-> my bag can be seen below {please note I'm wearing a different blouse in that shot}

& a similar can be found here

{ another purchase while in South Portugal in April}

N O T E 

This post is  n o t sponsored by any of the shops mentioned.

I currently share, post & write about all I l o v e.

However, I' m in fact glad, to be involved in some kind of cooperation,

 should they be interested.

Since it has been proven that currently bloggers & blogs

 drive lovely people like you { and potential customers for them }

in their businesses,

I find it fair & wonderful to profit from it, too.

O u i ? Mais bien sur oui!

Give away Thursday ~> Tote Shopping Bag by Fabric & Handle

 Hello & happy Thursday everyone!

  Since our {Tuesday's evening appointment}  has been rescheduled to today,

{better late than never, right ;)}

Thursdays might as well be the day that give aways are going to be hosted here

whenever they do so.

something about Thursdays that makes them even more pleasurable than 

Fridays to me...

 perhaps cause the biggest part of the week has passed,

  the weekend is almost a breath away,

 while there is still a little bit more time

  to complete things from our weekly "to do" lists...

 are you following me here? anyways!

Let's talk about how you can win a fabulous looking 

{tote Shopping Bag from Fabric & Handle}, 

like the one portrayed above:

1. visit Fabric & Handle

2. head on to the Tote shopping bag section

3. choose your favorite model

4. come here & leave a comment stating: 

 your favorite bag's name

&

your email address so that I can contact you when you are the winner!

5. show us some love

by sharing with your friends

&

supporting our business pages

here & there

That's it!

before I wish you all good luck,

I'd like to share with you some of my personal favorite models:

I love them all for the fact that they can be worn together with so many outfits,

but most of all for this very unique characteristic feature of theirs:

The leather handles are adjustable on the well sewn & durable 100% linen material, 

allowing you to decide whether you prefer to hold your bag in your hand,

or on your shoulder.

I love both ways, depending on what I use it for!

Asides from that, when ordering your model,

you may choose between thin & thick leather straps,

as much as between classic camel beige or black leather,

without any extra costs.

I've been since about a year a very happy & satisfied owner

of a Delmare, with thin beige handles,

which has been accompanying me from my trips to the grocery store,

to the city with friends

and even my travels much like last June in Amsterdam

& 

this January in Malta

Paige in dark grey outside / black inside would probably be my next choice,

only that their quality is so good that for the time being,

other than personal delight, I have no excuse to order a new one.

Double toned Aida in light brown & beige stripes seems like a perfect choice for the summer,

while Paige serves more for a business or generally minimal inspired look.

Except from their beautiful external appearance,

Fabric & Handle bags are carefully handcrafted inside,

with pockets & stylish leather details.

All made by hand, one by one through a cooperation with a small team of tailors & leather workers, Salinya - the owner of the company who originates from Thailand & has currently relocated with her husband in Munich, aims at bringing high quality Handmade bags, whith an affordable price addressing a wide audience.

Myself & Domestic Stories with Ivy are "überhappy" that

readers & friends here have this unique chance of winning

a product that is so beloved to us!

Here is some info for you to bookmark:

----------------------------------

Fabric & Handle shop

Fabric & Handle Facebook Page

A brilliant informative page with articles about the development of certain types of bags

&

a 10% coupon off your order

when you subscribe the newsletter,

which you'll find at the bottom left corner of their main page

------------------------------------------

Wishing you all the luck with the give away!

It will be open for submissions until Friday 00:00 the 16th of March

{please note that you may enter once}

We shall see each other here with an inspirational mood very soon

enjoy your days!

........................................

Collage credit: Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos

Picture credit: Fabric & Handle

Ida & Ivy in Frankfurt

hello & happy Friday everyone!

does it feel good to post here a second day in the row, 

after a seemingly long time...

big smiles for that : D

how are you?

well, as one picture says 1000 words,

could it be that you have already figured out by now,

where have {the fingers on the keyboard 

&

 the person behind the screen}

of this blog "dissappeared" since the past 

few days?

a little {hint was given yesterday}...

this lovely lady with the bright smile,

who is checking the life view while I was trying to make

decent pictures of us focusing automatically,

{the camera was somehow convinced 

that the focus should always be on the handwriting of the mirrors!}

has been hanging around our {little, beloved home} for the past couple of days.

Actually, we got to stay together and enjoy each other's company for four days,

her being my honoured guest,

while working on a common project for {Casa Facile},

the Italian interior design/decoration magazine she works for on a freelance basis.

{Ida} is the second name of Ilaria, an extremely creative person

who adores what she does, whether it is {crocheting},

{decorating} or {photographing interiors}.

This time, she came to photograph our living space,

while I was taking care of the styling.

Being herself very sensitive and talented in this domain

it was great exchanging ideas and tips!

Unless you have been following this blog for a few months at least,

you might not know how the two of us have met.

So here is a summary of our story:

 we have been knowing each other virtually through our blogs

&

{Ida Interior Lifestyle}, the flickr group Ilaria takes care off

as if it was her favorite garden, 

{and to which I also gladly contribute}

This June we also met each other in person, 

when we both joined {Meet the blogger} event.

we had the chance to hang out together,

visiting some awesome vintage shops,

{I still haven't found the time to post about!}

next day,

as my partner and I were driving back from Amsterdam to Frankfurt,

we made a stop to Eindhoven and visited her 

{colourful, cozy and handmade home},

spending a great time with her and her husband.

Now back to current times... 

a few pictures from our visit in Frankfurt this Tuesday,

before she departed boarding an afternoon train back to the Netherlands...

delicious antipasti lunch or else:  a tomato +  mozzarella + pesto panini

delicious!

... at the stylsih benches of {this} fabulous cafe, in one of Frankfurt's favorite

streets.

Here, in the {Altstadt}, around the Weißadlergasse,

the one cafe is more stylish than the other

& 

what is more fabulous is the fact that there is a mixture and variety of styles,

so every taste can be satisfied.

{Cafe Bar Roselli} is situated next to {Korres},

a brilliant Greek cosmetics company, 

well known from Athens, to Paris, to New York

to a few dozins of cities all around Europe and actually the whole world.

we "landed" here, Ida in her striped skirt

and me in my bell bottom jeans,

carrying my {black trechcoat} inside out,

so that its gigantic dots match nicely with the stripes,

I know, I know, it is a tiny detail, 

probably even crazy to mention it,

but we both couldn't help noticing how nicely they work together!

and then I couldn't help noticing how the weathered green of her leather boots,

matched nicely with the elegant {despite its huge size!} shopping bag,

I had just purchased from {Kontrast},

wisely spending €3 so that I carried the day's small {but then oh! so delightful shopping}

in a practical and stylish manner.

Of course, my {jean + camel leather Fabric & Handle bag} is accompanying me alsmost everywhere

what I seemed to surprisigly love about a lunch break in this area of Frankfurt

is the mix of people:

lots of stylish women with a rather personal approach to the whole story of styling and dressing,

among men in grey suits and carefully polished brown or black leather shoes...

quite an interersting mix...

and then, most people so eager to speak in English as they heard us talk to each other in this language,

rather sabotaging my honest efforts in advancing myself in German...

 even the people at the shoe repair store I visited spoke in admitedly super high level of English.

wow ~ respect!

but then that was so helpful

{ thank's so much in case you are reading these lines ; )}

now my dears, I'll leave you today with this post,

while I prepare the next one, sharing some shots we made during our photoshooting,

much like {these ones} posted yesterday,

letting you into some details of what made this weekend one fabulous one,

{someone got an amazing personalised, handmade present to give you a clue ; )}

while also introducing you to Ilaria's work.

till then ~ be well ~ be you ~ 

discover & chersich the unique person each and every one of you are!

Love,

Ivy 

__________________ 

All pictures presented in this post made by Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic stories with Ivy 2011 [all rights reserved]

Like the "Love mirrors"? ~> check {this} & {that} out!